By BRADLEY CORTRIGHT
New York Sun Excerpt:
A New York-based scientist is suing his employer for not offering 401(k) plans that exclude investments in fossil fuel companies, arguing the lack of such plans violates his Christian beliefs.
A statistical science director at Thermo Fisher Scientific, Andrew Hartley, filed a federal lawsuit in the Western District of New York this week. Mr. Hartley, a member of the United Methodist Church who is being represented by an environmental law charity, ClientEarth, said that in 2024 he asked his employer to add a fossil-fuel-free 401(k) option, and provided a list of such funds for the company’s consideration.
Thermo Fisher says its mission is to make the world “healthier, cleaner, and safe,” and it has a net-zero emissions commitment, with a deadline of 2050. However, the complaint says that Thermo Fisher did not respond to his requests and did not provide such an accommodation. The United Methodist Church has put an emphasis on climate change, due to a belief that it has a religious and moral obligation to care for the planet.
The UMC’s general conference passed a resolution committed to net-zero emissions by 2050 and has called for a transition away from fossil fuels. In 2024, the Fossil Free caucus of the UMC general conference tried to amend the church’s book of discipline to prevent investments in fossil fuel companies, but the amendment failed to pass.
Mr. Hartley says his religious beliefs instruct him to care for the earth, which he said prohibits him from investing in or earning a profit from fossil fuel companies. “I’ve spent years trying to align my life with my beliefs, but every month I would witness my employer investing the money I’ve earned in the very climate destruction I’ve committed my life to fighting,” Mr. Hartley said in a statement.
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